Captured Same

[Neal Whitman]

Thanks for the back story on "sank same". Now that I've had a good night's
sleep (more or less), I've Googled "Yankee Doodle Mouse" and found that the
phrasing was indeed more like the "sighted sub, sank same" brought up here.
You can see in this video that what he actually wrote was "Sighted cat --
sank same."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5upz3hWRzw.

Furthermore, Jonathan Lighter has also shed some light on another part of
the cartoon. He wrote:

"Another famous message from the same period was "SEND US MORE
JAPS," attributed to the besieged garrison on Wake Island.  It supposedly
showed spunk.  Released from a prison camp after the war, both Navy and
Marine commanders at Wake denied they had ever authorized such a ridiculous
message."

At the end of the cartoon, Jerry sends a second communique: "Send more
cats!"

I was reminded of something else I should have done before posting, when I
read Rick Barr's message. After quoting Brian Garner, he continues:

> And here's the more latitudinarian MWEU:
> http://books.google.com/books?id=3D2yJusP0vrdgC&lpg=3DPP1&dq=3Dmerriam%20we=
> bster's%20usage&pg=3DPA825#v=3Donepage&q&f=3Dfalse

I was unable to open this link, but it reminded me that I should have
checked MWDEU myself. For others who can't open the link, here's what it
says:

"The use of 'same' as a pronoun, often with 'the', has attracted criticism
from many commentators, dating back to Vizetelly 1906. The use of 'same' as
a substitute for 'it, this, that,' and 'them' is typically described as
unliterary business jargon, if not as an out-and-out error. But a look at
the long history and current use of the pronoun 'same' shows clearly that
the judgment of the critics is undeservedly harsh. 'Same' has been in
continuous use as a pronoun since the 14th century. It was well known to the
Shakespearean businessman:
[Shakespeare example]

"But its use has never been limited to the world of business. Here are some
further examples, old and new, to counter the dismissal of pronominal 'same'
as mere jargon:
[10 examples]

"The pronoun 'same' may sound wooden in an awkwardly written business
letter, but in the hands of a competent writer it is often simply a mark of
an informal style."

Neal

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